


Marbles in a Jar

by Lothiriel84



Series: Little Bang [1]
Category: MarsCorp (Podcast)
Genre: Gen, I Don't Even Know, Mad Science, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 19:52:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 505
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14220567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lothiriel84/pseuds/Lothiriel84
Summary: Magic's just science that we don't understand yet.





	Marbles in a Jar

“It’s not working,” Colin huffed in frustration as he stepped away from the lab bench, a nervous hand running through his perfectly combed hair. “This project is just a complete washout.”

David glanced up at him for the fraction of a second, his eyes immediately drawn back to the pulsing globe of matter which, against all laws of logic and physics, was somehow still floating midair. It was dark and cloudy, and for a moment there he thought he could feel it reverberate in a frequency that was unfortunately inaudible by the human ear.

Colin’s pacing finally stopped, followed by the rustling of his coat. “I need a drink. Chuck that thing into the dematerialiser for me, will you, buddy?”

With that, he was gone, leaving David to stare into the tiny abyss of what was supposed to be the beginnings of a new universe. It still wasn’t expanding or anything, just hanging there; and yet, he fancied the blackness was now staring back at him, somehow.

 _Stop being an idiot, David_ , he chided himself. _You’re a scientist, for Shareholders’ sake. Think rationally._

Still, he realised he was starting to gravitate closer and closer to the miniature universe, his hand drawn somewhat inexorably towards its nebulous surface. He should know better than to touch a failed experiment, really; but as it always happened, his innate curiosity got the better of him, and he traced the outline of the sphere with the tip of his finger.

It was simultaneously incredibly cold and unbearably hot, and this time, he couldn’t miss the low hum it emitted in response. He smiled in spite of himself, reached over to cup both of his hands around it.

The bubble pulsed cheerfully against his palms, and all of a sudden he could feel its weight bearing down on him, denser than the bottled mercury he used to hoard under his bed when he was a kid. He peered down at it through his fingers, was momentarily rendered breathless as he spotted the tiniest specks of light dancing in between the darkness, like microscopic galaxies in a glass marble.

The globe itself was only slightly bigger than one of those ancient marbles he’d once located in the Culture Department, in a long forgotten box hidden under stacks of crumbling paper. He could easily fit it inside his pocket, and no one would be any the wiser; not even Colin, no matter that he’d explicitly ordered him to get rid of the thing.

He ran his thumb over the polished surface, soft and smooth and unlike anything he’d ever touched before. This was going to be his little secret, and Shareholders knew he could really use some sort of distraction from the general unpleasantness of his day-to-day life.

He slid the marble-universe into his inside pocket, felt it hum contentedly against his stomach. He was only too aware this could turn out to be far more dangerous than the Comfort Buddy, but for the time being, he just couldn’t bring himself to care.


End file.
